Panathinaikos have opened the season 4-0, unleashing a ferocious “monster” on the glass floor of the Telekom Center and giving the rest of the EuroLeague some difficult problems to solve.
Panathinaikos have made a perfect start to the regular season, but let’s begin this account at the other end. Mathias Lessort finished the game against Fenerbahce by reflecting on everything he had been through. “I deserved a game like this,” he said, having contributed 19 points and 8 rebounds to the Greens’ commanding 92-74 victory. The Frenchman’s dominant return to such an all-round performance captures part of the bigger picture for the Greek Cup holders: key players are finding themselves again and giving every opponent more to prepare for.
Four games, four wins, an aggregate scoring margin of +83. After Paris, ASVEL and Maccabi, the Greens also overpowered Sarunas Jasikevicius’ tough side at the T-Center. They are averaging 93.75 points while allowing just 73, having played all their games at home so far. Alongside Valencia, they remain the competition’s only unbeaten teams. What makes this run particularly interesting is the number of different players capable of sustaining it.
Lessort, for example, posted a PIR of 30 in 23 minutes and 8 seconds, grabbed 5 offensive rebounds and drew 6 fouls. His presence around the basket forced a Fenerbahce side short on size at center to contend with strength, contact and repeated battles for the ball. For a player trying to rediscover consistency and sustain his level, nights like this also matter for what they can lead to.
“I’m happy to see him coming back, to see him shine,” Guerschon Yabusele told Magic Euroleague. His teammate described the effort to keep Lessort positive and encourage him to let the game come to him. Panathinaikos, then, have every reason to invest in that gradual recovery, as their center’s effectiveness expands the options for the entire five-man unit.
Alongside him, Nigel Hayes-Davis scored 19 points, pulled down 4 rebounds and recorded 3 steals. The American combines offensive responsibility with defensive effort, giving Zeljko Obradovic another major focal point. His partnership with Lessort means opposing defenses must deal with different sources of pressure simultaneously, each presenting distinct challenges. In other words, under “Zoc,” NHD is becoming a formidable weapon whose market value exceeds $4 million a year.
Meanwhile, Sylvain Francisco can score 17 points and also dish out 7 assists. Nikos Rogkavopoulos needed fewer than 10 minutes to score 10 points, converting every attempt he took. That efficiency matters: a player steps onto the court, recognizes what the game offers him and influences its course without needing a large share of the possessions.
This is how the image of the Hydra that Obradovic is trying to build this season begins to take shape. Production comes from the paint, the wings, the lead ball-handler and contributions throughout the rotation. Against the team crowned European champions in Abu Dhabi in 2025, Panathinaikos reached 92 points despite shooting just 7-for-21 from three. Their 25-for-40 shooting on two-pointers and 20 assists reflected purpose, efficiency and teamwork, allowing them to sustain their offense without relying on an outstanding night from distance.
All of this, of course, has come with Kostas Sloukas, Kendrick Nunn and Juancho Hernangomez unavailable. The prospect of their return makes the equation even more complicated for the competition. Until then, others are taking on more responsibility, while the coach gains a clearer picture of the combinations at his disposal. None of the twelve players used against the Turkish side reached 27 minutes on the floor. Yet everyone helped against an opponent from the league’s top tier.
For better or worse—and in this case, certainly for better—defense is everyone’s shared obligation in the Obradovic era. Isaac Bonga went scoreless, yet Zoc singled him out in his flash interview. “Many players contributed, but I will single out Bonga, who was outstanding defensively,” the experienced coach said. That public recognition also establishes how performances are judged within the team. A player can shape the way the whole unit functions without being a leading scorer.
With Brancou Badio also active on the perimeter, the hosts forced Saras’ team into 17 turnovers, almost seven above their previous average. Eight came from Wade Baldwin and Talen Horton-Tucker. Size and defensive cover allow Panathinaikos to vary their approach against opposing ball-handlers. That flexibility provides an important foundation for the road ahead, when opponents will search more persistently for a weakness they can repeatedly attack.
There are, naturally, imperfections, particularly at this stage of the season. The 24 points conceded in the first quarter, the visitors’ 15 offensive rebounds and the 21-for-32 free-throw shooting identify some of the work still to be done. “If you are satisfied after four games, that is not good,” the Serbian coach stressed. His attitude keeps standards high amid the excitement.
Panathinaikos already have plenty of answers available. And those answers are particularly impressive for the opening ten days of October. As the absentees return and the team’s combinations improve, the Greens’ ceiling will rise even higher.
